Method of and apparatus for the pressure treatment of parts of the human body



Afl 8,1939.

w. R. THOMPSON mswnon 0F 1mm APPARATUS FOR THE PRESSURE TREATMENT OF PARTS OF THE uum' BODY Filed Aug. 31, 1935 2 Sheets$heet l INVEINTOR WARREN RAY Tnomwom BY g ATTORNEY I K 1939. w. R. THOMPSON 2,168,611

METHOD OF AND APPARATUS FOR THE PRESSURE TREATMENT OF BARTS OF THE HUMAN BODY Filed Aug. 31, 1935 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Aug. 8

ATToRN'EY Patented Aug. 8, l 39 METHOD OF AND APPARATUS FOR THE PRESSURE TREATMENT OF" PARTS OF THE HUMAN BODY Warren Bay Thompson, New York, N. Y.; Margaret Alicia Thompson, executrix of saidWarren Bay Thompson. (1

- Application August :1, 1935, Serial no. cases '1 Claims. (01. 128-299) This invention relates to a method of and apparatus for, the pressure treatment of parts of the human body for disorders of the muscular, vascular and nervous systems.

Some disorders of the hands, arms, legs and feet particularly aflect the circulation of the blood therein or the proper functioning of the nervous or muscular systems. These disorders have been found to be readily corrected by subjecting the parts affected to variations of absolute pressure in continuous cycles. For example, if the disordered parts are enclosed in a pressure chamber, and alternately subjected to pressure and vacuum and such treatment continued regularly for an extended period of time the disorders are often corrected.

Accordingly one subject of the invention is to provide a method of and apparatus for subjecting parts of the human body to changes of absolute pressure in continuous cycles.

Another object of the invention is to provide a method of and apparatus for subjecting a part of the human body to changes-in pressure in continuous cycles wherein the frequency, duration and limitations of the pressure may be accurately controlled. 7

Where a foot is being subjected to alternate pressure and vacuum the action of the apparatus is to push the blood away from or pull it toward the heart. If two treating chambers are used in a way, for example, that a foot is under pressure while an arm is under vacuum and vice versa there is a surging action which tends to stimulate and assist the heart action in building up the blood circulation. I

Accordingly another object of the invention is to provide a method of and apparatus for subjecting two different parts of the human body to different pressure conditions simultaneously, one to'vacuum, the other to pressure and alter-- nately reversing these pressure conditions in continuous cycles.

With these and other objects in view the invention consists in the pressure treating apparatus and method of using the same hereinafter described and particularly defined in the appended claims.

Various features of the invention are illustrated in the accompanying drawings in which- Figure 1 is a view in side elevation with parts shown in section illustrating somewhat diagrammatically the invention; and

Figure 2 is a view in side elevation diagrammatically showing a pressure changing apparatus embodying a preferred form of the invention,

In accordance with the preferred form of the invention the part of the human body to be treated is enclosed within a pressure-regulated chamher and the gas pressure in the chamber is varied from a superatmospheric pressure to a sub-at- 5 mospheric pressure by moving the gas from the chamber back and forth between cylinders by the operation of pistons within the cylinders.

As shown in Figure 1 the treating chamber which is used to enclose the member or part to be treated consists of a pressure chamber i ll formed and shaped so that a part of the human body such as a foot, hand, leg or arm may be inserted through one end and the opening in the end of the chamber closed by an elastic band if. The chamber ill illustrated in the drawings has a contracted open end ll which is arranged to permit a member of the body such as the leg or arm to be readily inserted within the chamber. Around the end it is mounted the elastic band or cuff l2 which is held in position by a clamp It. The elasticity of the cuff l2 usually is sufficient to maintain a proper seal to hold the desired pressure conditions in the treating chamber. The strap I8 is used to hold the cufl. in position to cincture the volume of space between the cuff and member being treated and to control leakage of gas out of the treating chamber when sub- .jected to superatmospheric pressure.

The changes of pressure in the chamber are preferably obtained by means of pumping cylinders 20 and 22. Two cylinders have been illustrated so as to show how these cylinders may be used to supplement one another and give more accurate control of pressure changes of gas in the chamber. The invention, however, is not limited to the use of a plurality of pumping cylinders because one cylinder may be used for the purpose, or more than two cylinders may be used for the purpose. In the drawings, Figure 1, the cylinders are shown as single acting cylinders; that is, only one end of the cylinders are connected to the chamber so that the movement of gas in and out of the cylinders is correspondingly changed out and into the treating chamber. To accomplish this the treating chamber is connected by means of tubes 24 and 26 to a manifold pipe 28. The manifold pipe 28 is directly connected by means of a union or tube 30 with the cylinder 20. A tube 32 is connected between the manifold 28 and one end of the cylinder 22. Tubes 34 and 36 are connected to the treating chamber. The ends of the tubes 24 and 26 which connect with the manifold are connected by nipples 38 with check valves 40 and globe valves 42, these members being connected in series with the manifold 24. In the drawings, three sets of globevalves and check valves are illustratedby which three separate treating chambers may be connected to the one manifold and all be subjected to changes in pressure at the same time. The tubes 24 and 26 are preferably made of rubber and are built with thick walls which are capable of standing compartively high pressures.

The check valve 44 which is connected with the tube 24 is arranged so that when a piston is moving in a cylinder to create-a suction and draw gas out of the treating chamber, such gas will freely flow through the check valve. The check valve 44 in the line 24 is so arranged that when the gas is passing from the chamber to a cylinder through the check valve in the line 24, the check valve in the line 26 will be closed to prevent gas from passing through the line 24 into the cylinder. Vice versa, when the check valve controlling the line 26 is open for the passage of gas from a cylinder to the treating chamber, the check valve in the line 24 will be closed to prevent gas from passing through the line 24 from the chamber to the cylinder. Each of the pairs of check valves and globe valves are arranged in this same manner.

In the treatment of certain type of disorders, such as in the case of the treatment of limbs, wherein a part of the limb has been amputated, it is often desirable to condition a gas passing to and from the treating chamber. To accomplish this a conditioning apparatus is mounted in either the line 24 or 24 or both of these lines whereby the gas moving to and from the treating chamber will pass through a conditioning chamber. The line 24 is provided with a bypass arrangement which passes through a treating chamber 44. A valve 44 is mounted in a portion of the line 24 and conduits 44 and 56 connected between the line 24 and the chamber 44. The conduits 44 and 56 are provided with valves 52 and 54 respectively, by which the flow of gas through the chamber 44 may be controlled. Normally the valve 44 would be closed and the valves 52 and 54 opened in order to circulate all of the gas passing through the line 24 through the treating chamber 44. If, however, it is desired to by-pass some of the gas passing through the line 24 so that it will not all pass through the chamber 44, the valves 44 and 52 may be used for this purpose. When it is not desired to use the treating chamber 44 then valve 46 will be opened and the valves 52 and 54 closed. The chamber 44 is preferably arranged so that materials for filtering, drying, humidifying or medicating the air may be inserted and removed from the chamber. Preferably these treating materials are arranged in the chamber so that the gas will be required in its passage through the chamber to come into contact with the treating materials. A conditioning chamber 54 which is similar in all respects to the chamber 44 is connected with the tube 26 by means of valved conduits 56. A valve 66 is mounted in the line 26 which, when operated in conjunction with the valves in the conduits 54, may be used for controlling the circulation of gas through the conditioning chamber 56in the same manner as that described above in conjunction with the conditioning chamber 44.

The pumping cylinders 26 and 22 are preferably mounted in a fixed position upon a stand 62.* The cylinder 26 is provided with a piston 64 and the cylinder 22 is provided with a pistol;

44. The piston 44 is mounted on a piston rod 66 which passes through a packing gland l4 and is connected by means of a connecting rod 12 with a crank 14 mounted on a shaft 16 of a speed reducing mechanism enclosed within a casing 14. The piston 66 is mounted on a piston rod 66 which in turn is connected by a connecting rod 62 with a crank 44 fixed on the shaft 14. cranks I4 and 44 are rotated by means of a motor 66 which is connected through a flexible coupler 66 with a shaft 56 of the speed reducing gear mechanism. The motor 66 is preferably a variable speed motor so that the speed of rotation of the shaft I6 and thus the speed of reciprocation of the pistons in the cylinders may be varied. The cranks l4 and 44 are provided with slots in which pins 62 and 64 may be adjusted in order to vary the length of the st ke of the pistons in the cylinders. The cranks I4 and 44 may be clamped in diflerent'positions on the shaft 16 in order to vary the relative positions of the pistons in the cylinders. In the drawings, the crank-arms are illustrated as being set apart. This degree of angular-ity, however, may be varied quite widely.

From the above description it will be seen that the movement of the pistons in the cylinders can be varied by changing the speed of the motor, and by adjusting the length of travel of the pistons in the cylinder. By changing the angularity of the crankarms, the relative positions of the pistons in the cylinders may be varied by the rotation of the shaft 16. With this means one cylinder may be used to supplement or add to the gas moved by the other cylinder in order to buildup the pressure, or one cylinder may be used to take gas from the other cylinder. In this way substantially any desired subatmospheric or superatmospheric pressure may be developed in the manifold,

In the line 32 connecting the cylinder 22 with the manifold is mounted a relief valve 96 and a cut-01f valve 96. With these valves it is possible to permit the cylinder 22 to continue to operate but to cut off the effect of the piston operation from the manifold 26. Furthermore part of the gas moved by the piston 66 may be exhausted or gas entered through the valve 66.

As a check for limiting the pressure which may be developed in the manifold 26, a mercury U- gauge I66 is mounted at the left hand end of the manifold so that if a vacuum or superatmospheric pressure is developed which is higher than that desired, the gas will blow the mercury seal of the U-gauge. These pressures may be readily observed from a pressure gauge'i 62 which is mounted in the top of the pressure chamber l6 and/or by the U-gauge. The proper pressure combination is preferably regulated by means of valve I64 connecting the manifold 26 to the atmosphere. With this valve the pressure and vacuum condition in the treating chamber l6 may be regulated after the cylinders 26 and 22 have been establishedin their regular pumping operation. A valve i 66 is mounted on chamber l6 convenient to the patient so that the pressure developed in the chamber i6 may be regulated by the patient through this valve if it seems desirable. Furthermore this valve is available as an emergency valve to release the pressure if the patient so desires.

In Figure 2 is shown the preferred form of the presentinvention by which surging action may be imparted to two separate parts of the human body for the purpose of stimulating a circulation The.

of blood through the body and through the affected parts. With this apparatus also a double acting cylinder is utilized, each cylinder being. connected with a separate treating chamber in which two patients may receive treatment at the same time. The pressure conditions in each chamber may be independently adjusted and varied to give any desired treatment to each patient. Two separate treating chambers are provided, each having a manifold connection which is in turn connected with an end of a double acting pumping. cylinder whereby a vacuum pressure is developed in one treating chamber while a superatmospheric pressure is developed in the other chamber. These pressure effects alternate in continuous cycle to develop a surging action upon the blood circulation for stimulating the circulation.

Treating chambers I08 and H8, Fig.2,which are similar in all respects to treating chamber III, are connected respectively with manifolds H2 and H4 by means of flexible tubes H8 and H8. The manifolds H2 and I I4 are preferably connected by flexible tubes I28 and I22 respectively 25 with the opposite ends of a double acting piston cylinder I24. The tubes H6, H8, I28 and I22 are preferably thick-walled rubber tubes capable of standing high pressure, which tubes are flexible and permit the manifolds and chambers to be 30 moved into different positions for accommodating the treatment of different members of the body, such as hands, feet, legs, arms, or other portions of the body. The tubes H8 and H8 are connected with the manifolds H2 and II 4 by means of check valves I25 and globe valves I28, these check valves and globe valves being similar in their operation to that described in conjunction with the valves 38 and 42. That is, the check valves on one tube IIG allow the passage of gas 40 in one direction while preventing the passage of gas in the opposite direction, and the other check valve I28 is arranged to have the same action but in an opposite phase. U-gauges I38 are connected with the manifolds I I2 and H4 by which the pressure in the manifold may be deflnitely limited. A piston I32 in the cylinder I24 is operated through a motor I34 which is con nected through speed reducing gearing I36, crank I38 and connecting arm I48 with a piston rod I42 upon which the piston I32 is mounted. The connection between the connecting rod and crank arm I38 is adjustable so that the stroke of the piston may be varied. Control valves I44 are mounted on each of the treating chambers I88 and III) and, if desired, a similar control valve may be mounted upon the manifolds I I2 and I I4.

By this construction it will be seen that each end of a piston performs a pumping action and may develop double the pressure changing ca- 0 pacity of a single acting pump. The treating chamber pressures are controlled by the action of each side of the piston and the pressure conditions in each of the chambers is opposite in cycle, that is, from the high to the low pressure 5 and vice vers'a. With one chamber under high pressure and the other under low pressure, the

high pressure tends to force the blood toward the heart and the low pressure tends to draw the blood from the heart. Thus a surging action 7 in continuous cycle is set up which tends to stimulate the blood circulation.

The action of the piston in the cylinder is preferably such that the vacuum effect or subatmospheric pressure is greater than the super- 75 atmospheric pressure with reference-to atmospheric pressure. With such an adjustment of the piston inthe double action cylinder, the time of maximum pressure at one end of the cylinder will correspond with the time of minimum pressure or been thus described, what is claimed as new is:

l. A method of subjecting a plurality of parts of the human body to changes of absolute pressure comprising, enclosing two or more parts in separate chambers, continuously moving gas into and out of the chambers in cycles, maintaining a superatmospheric pressure in one chamber while maintaining a vacuum in one or more of the other chambers, and reversing the pressure conditions in the chambers in continuous cycles.

2. A method of subjecting a plurality of parts of the human body to changes of absolute pressure comprising, enclosing two parts in separate chambers, continuously reciprocating a piston in a cylinder to move gas at each side of the piston and maintaining a connection of one chamber with each end of the cylinder and a connection of the other chamber with the other end of the cylinder by which gas moves into and out of the chambers with each reciprocation of the piston.

3. A method of subjecting a plurality of parts of the human body to changes of absolute pressure comprising, enclosing two diiferent parts in separate chambers, continuously reciprocating a piston in a cylinder to move gas on each side of the piston and maintaining a connection of a chamber with each end of a cylinder by which gas moves into and out of the chambers with each reciprocation of the piston, maintaining a vacuum pressure condition in one chamber while having a superatmospheric pressure condition in the other chamber and vice-versa, and varying the speed of reciprocation of the piston to vary the length of the changing pressure cycles.

4. A method of subjecting a plurality of parts of the human body to changes of absolute pressure comprising, enclosing two different parts in separate chambers, continuously reciprocating a piston in a cylinder to move gas on each side of the piston providing a connection of a chamber with each end of the cylinder by which gas moves into and out of the chambers with each reciprocation of the piston, maintaining a vacuum pressure condition in one chamber while having a superatmospheric pressure condition in the other chamber and vice-versa, and varying the pressure condition in one chamber independently of the pressure condition in the other chamber by regulating valves.

5. An apparatus for pressure treatment of parts of the human body comprising, a plurality of treating chambers, a cylinder having a double-acting pi'ston therein, means for reciprocating the piston, a gas conduit connecting one end of the cylinder with one chamber, a gas conduit connecting the other end of the cylinder with the other chamber, check valves in the conduits arranged to pass gas from the chamber to the cylinders on one stroke of the piston and to pass gas from the cylinder to the pistons on the other stroke of the pistons to simultaneously maintain relativelylow and relatively high pressures in the respective chambers and means ior varying the length of reciprocation oi the piston.

6. The combina :1 set forth in claim 5 wherein means are pro ded for automatically controlling the pressure condition in the chambers. 7. An apparatus for the pressure treatment of a member of the human body comprising a closed chamber, a cylinder havinga piston therein, a

motor driven gear means for reciprocating the piston, two separate gas conduits connected between the chamber and the cylinder arranged to provide two separate lines for the passage of gas between the cylinder and the chamber, a gas conditioning means connected with the conduit through which the gas passes from the cylinder to the chamber and check valves in said conduits arranged to pass gas from the chamber to the cylinder through one conduit on one stroke or the piston and to pass gas from the cylinder through the conditioning means to the chamber through the other conduit onthe other stroke 10 of the piston.

WARREN RAY THOMRSON. 

